


Fallen One

by MrWartburg



Series: The Hawk-verse [7]
Category: Supernatural, Young Justice (Cartoon)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-09-04
Updated: 2013-10-02
Packaged: 2017-12-25 15:21:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 10,909
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/954682
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MrWartburg/pseuds/MrWartburg
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Adrian Rossi has been raised as a man of God. Working with a secret order he fights demons, monsters and things most humans believe are myths, but soon he is thrust into a much larger world than he ever dreamed of. But he is in danger; someone, or something, is plotting in the shadows with an endgame even the prophets cannot decipher.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to everyone who's decided to check this out. This is part 7 of a 9-part AU I've been writing since the spring of 2012. It started with Strange New World, which is currently only partially uploaded for editing purposes but will be fully finished soon. The main portion of this story will be taking place in the year 2020. I made the AU actually take place over time so as to actually grow the characters and introduce new ones, like the main character in this story over time. For instance, Nightwing in this story is 23. Artemis and Wally are 24.
> 
> This story is also a crossover with the TV show, Supernatural. While the main characters from that show make a cameo in chapter 2, they are not featured much in the story. The point of this crossover is more focused on the lore of Supernatural and trying to make it fit in the YJ universe as well. I hope I did a good job of it, but feel free to let me know otherwise. I'm only one guy, so I can only think of so many ideas before I'm tapped out. Also, the look of the character and his organization are heavily stylized after the Assassin's Creed video game series.
> 
> Without further ado, enjoy!

* * *

**1998**   
**Rome**

Father Leo Rossi was out for an evening stroll after a day of listening to confessions within his small cathedral on the outskirts of the city. While he was assuredly a man of God, it was tiresome and frustrating to hear the common sins of man on a daily basis; today alone he had attempted to help several men who had cheated on their wives. He was all but certain that his advice would go unheeded and the men would fall back into their adulterous ways. Needless to say, he sometimes questioned the usefulness of his work in the church. Despite all that, the 55-year old preacher knew that he had been called to do this and would continue to do it until the day he died.

Nearing his church Leo slowed his pace to stare into the night sky. He had always marveled at the beauty of God's creation, but tonight something peculiar caught his eye. Staring at Polaris, the Northern Star, he noted a bright light just to its south. It was far too bright to be a star and Leo's eyes widened as he realized that the light was not only getting brighter, it was getting closer!

The aging Father watched in rapt fascination as the light descended toward the Earth. The light suddenly split into two pieces, with one part flying off to the west while the main part continued on its path toward the Vatican. Too late, Leo came to the conclusion that the light would soon reach the city.  _What could it be?_ His mind raced through the possibilities?  _A missile?_  In today's world it was a likely conclusion given the actions of terrorists. Yet his mind refused to accept that scenario as there was something otherworldly about the light.

Before he could form a solid idea about its origins, the light was now on top of the city and it showed no signs of slowing down. With a blinding flash the object crashed down directly in front of Leo's church, much to his surprise. Running over to the small crater Leo was shocked at what he found at its center.

A small male infant, stark naked, was in the center. Leo quickly climbed into the crater and approached the boy only to be taken aback as the boy's skin glowed and shining letters, written in Latin, shown through. Being able to read Latin Leo deciphered most of the text before it vanished. Upon understanding the meaning he stood above the boy unsure of how to act. After a moment of reflection Leo slowly bent down to pick up the child. Seeing that no one was around, Leo quickly made for his church.

While he was sure the building was deserted when he left for his walk he now found that he was not alone. Entering the main hall he came across five men, dressed in white hooded robes. When Leo came close the men simultaneously raised their heads and their eyes all settled on the child.

"Who are you?" Leo held the boy tight against his body.

The man in the middle of the group stepped forward, throwing back his hood to reveal a face full of cryptic tattoos.

"That will be explained later. You must keep the boy safe. We will watch over him, train him when he is old enough. But it is you who must raise him."

Leo looked down at the boy. "Why me?"

"Because it has been prophesized. We are the stewards of the Word of God. That boy is important, more important than you can know. Will you fulfill your duty as a servant of God?"

Despite his long history as a Father and strong belief in the Lord, Leo felt a flicker of doubt – he was used to aiding people, yes, but not taking care of a child – but he quickly forced it away as he looked at the infant, and innocent who had no choice in his circumstances. He couldn't be left alone.

"Yes." Leo looked at the boy nestled in his arms, but by the time he looked up to speak with the man again, he found the church empty save for himself and the baby.

* * *





	2. Growing Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrian goes through his training, learning about vampires, demons, and Hunters.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sam and Dean make an appearance in this chapter, and some snippets of the monster lore from Supernatural are discussed as well. Hope I got everything right, let me know if I didn't.
> 
> Enjoy!

* * *

**Rome**   
**2006 – 8 years later**   
**4:20 p.m.**

Father Leo Rossi walked the streets of Rome alone, reflecting on the changes in his life over the last decade. It was eight years to the day that his life was irrevocably altered when a young boy, whom Leo named Adrian, had seemingly fallen from the sky. In fact, the purposes of Leo's walk had been to buy the boy a birthday present. While the boy's teachers and trainers saw fit to treat Adrian more akin to a tool, Leo made it his mission to raise the boy as normally as possible, though he only had a small say in Adrian's life nowadays. In some ways, he supposed that was the closest thing the boy had to a father in his life, though Leo had been staggeringly ill-prepared for the job at first.

Adrian, for his part, had been a remarkably intelligent and mature young boy. From a very early age he had easily grasped the concept of language and eagerly devoured every book Leo could provide him. While he was still only four he was quite the chatter box, speaking with more clarity and purpose than a normal four year old should possess. He was constantly talking to people, whether or not they listened. Leo felt a pang of sadness as he realized Adrian's education had completely isolated him from any children his own age. As a young child he had invented a few imaginary friends, talking to seemingly inanimate objects, but that behavior was all but quashed once he began his education.

The monks who had arrived the night of the boy's appearance had told Leo they would take the boy when he turned five, and sure enough, the boy had been living with them since his fifth birthday. Leo was just grateful that he had been given nearly unrestricted access to their facility. Leo thought about how the last three years had changed the young boy. Adrian was still the highly intelligent child he had always been, but he was much more reserved and quiet. Now, he barely spoke at all, much like the monks who were training him.

Leo paused as he reached his destination, a run down and dilapidated cathedral. The stone building was cracking and it appeared as though it hadn't been used in decades. Leo paused, making sure no one was watching as he entered the building. Once inside, he made his way to the confessional booth. A computer generated voice rang out from a hidden speaker.

" _Authorization code."_

Leo cleared his throat. "Alpha-7,Omega-8."

" _Authorization cleared. Welcome Father Rossi."_

The floor beneath Leo shook, but he knew what to expect as it lowered slowly to reveal a hidden underground base. Once the lift stopped, Leo stepped off, intending to seek out his son. The present, wrapped in black, was placed under his arm as he briskly walked to search Adrian's favorite places to spend his down time. He eventually heard the boy's voice near the facilities monastery. Leo stood around the corner, listening to his conversation.

"The training is hard, but they tell me I have a great purpose. How are you?"

There was no reply; the silence caused Leo to peek around the corner. No one was there, only a stature of an angel. Adrian's voice made Leo return to his hiding spot.

"Well that doesn't sound like fun. Talk to you later!"

The boy's footsteps ran down the hall and Leo moved to the place Adrian had been standing. No trace of a person could be found. The only thing was the statue of the angel Castiel.

BREAK-BREAK-BREAK

Wilderness of Czechoslovakia  
January 2008  
2:47 a.m.

Adrian's feet were freezing, which was both a good and bad thing. Bad, because he felt they would fall off at any moment and good because it allowed him to not feel the pain of having walked over a dozen miles in the dead of night. For the last four hours, he and his trainers were on a mission, one that the grandmaster thought Adrian would benefit from observing. Adrian watched as the older monks carefully studied the ground in front of them, pausing from time to time to examine something one of them found. But just as quickly as they stopped they would start again, leaving no time for him to rest. Fortunately, he wasn't left entirely alone on the trip. His instructor, a monk named Isaac, was always close at hand.

To keep the boy occupied Isaac peppered Adrian with questions for his instruction.

"Tell me child, how does one tell someone is a vampire?"

Adrian stepped over a snow-covered fallen log before replying. "They will generally appear as being pale skinned and will not be outside during daylight hours."

"And why is that?"

The boy's reply was immediate. "While sunlight isn't deadly it will cause the skin of a vampire to burn painfully."

"Very good. Now, how does one kill a vampire?"

"There are a number of ways to kill vampires. Most commonly their head must be separated from the body. They can also be killed by high enough concentrations of a dead man's blood, which acts as a poison to their system."

"Again, well done. What can you tell me of the number of vampires in existence?"

"That may never be fully known, but their numbers have border-lined of near-extinction for some time, mostly thanks to the Hunters of the world."

Isaac nodded. "True, but I don't believe we have ever covered the Hunters in class. What have you learned of them?"

Adrian's expression changed to one of utter glee. The topic was clearly something he enjoyed. "They exist to kill all the monsters in the world. While they never succeed, they dedicate their lives to the pursuit. In recent times they have eradicated all the known vampire tribes in North America until the population surged again. One of the books I read credited the Winchesters, along with Bobby Singer for their initial decline."

Isaac shook his head and laughed, thinking to himself, ' _Of course the boy would find the material on the Winchesters.'_

Before Isaac could ask another question, the lead monk returned from the front of the group.

"We have found the nest." He turned to Adrian. "Your teacher may have taught you about the creatures, but tonight we will show you how to kill one in person."

* * *

**Northern Maine**   
**March 2011**   
**8:58 p.m.**

Adrian drew a deep breath, silencing the feeling of nervousness he so rarely felt. But if any day should make him nervous it would be this one. Two days ago he had been informed that he, at the age of only 13, would be leading his first hunting party. The mission was to gather information about a group of demons in the wilderness of Maine. It was such a high priority assignment that the top monks from the Brotherhood were accompanying the boy. More intriguing were the groups they would be working with. While the Brotherhood normally worked apart from the world, every now and then they would join forces with certain individuals. And it was who they were meeting that had Adrian more nervous than he had ever been.

They had traveled by plane to reach America and spent the last four hours trekking through the wilderness to reach their destination. When they got there, they found they were the first to arrive.

"They're late." The eldest monk was not pleased with how the planned meeting was going.

Adrian was quick to calm his companion. "Have patience, I'm sure they will be here."

As soon as he spoke, the roar of an American muscle car was heard approaching the clearing. Two headlights shown through the trees and Adrian could see the metallic black paint of the car.

"I told you they'd make it."

The car slowed to a stop and two men exited the car, openly staring at the members of the Brotherhood. The taller one slapped the older looking one.

"Dude, I think they have more of an arsenal than we do."

The older one scowled as he realized the tall man was correct. "Never thought I'd see the day, Sam."

Sam looked over the group. "You know Dean; I always thought dad was lying about these guys. But it's all in the journal, even the white hooded cloaks. It's like something out of Assassin's Creed!"

"Sam, stop nerding out, we have a job to do, not gawk at who we're working with." Dean moved to open the trunk when he paused. "Isn't there supposed to be that Batman guy here too?"

A high-pitched laugh echoed from the trees and startled everyone, even the monks. "We're already here!" A young boy, clad is red, yellow and black vaulted into the middle of the group.

Sam stared at the boy. "But where's the other one."

"Here," The deep voice of Batman from right behind him jolted Sam into the door of the Impala. Even more frightening for the man was the sight of the green-skinned creature behind Batman. His glowing red eyes seemed to bore right into Sam's soul.

"Who the hell are you?"

"To my share of chaos I make my claim and Etrigan is my name."

While Sam recovered the brightly appareled boy found his way to Adrian and extended his hand.

"Hi, my name's Robin."

Adrian shook the boy's hand. "Mine's Adrian. Nice to meet you."

* * *

**Palo Alto, California**   
**November 2020**   
**7:30 p.m.**

Adrian threw back his hood as he stared down into the city. He breathed in a lungful of air, tasting the pollution. America was an odd place, he mused. Full of such beauty, yet also riddled with many more disgusting things than he cared to think about. Even this city, nestled near open water and tall mountains was not immune to this truth. Clearing his head of such thoughts, he focused on the task at hand. Looking through his binoculars he located his target, a stunning olive-skinned blonde woman with grey eyes. While she looked innocent and care-free, Adrian knew that this was far from the truth. What was inside of her was the most evil and vile thing he had ever tracked, either solo or in a team: a demon from Hell itself.

* * *


	3. The Exorcism of Artemis Crock

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrian tracks a demon, but she's possessing a superhero!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter features a devil's trap and an exorcism, with the same style as the ones on Supernatural. I got the words to the exorcism from the Super-wiki. I hope that sequence reads like I want it to.
> 
> Enjoy!

* * *

**Palo Alto, CA  
** **November 15  
** **7:45 a.m.** ****  


Adrian ran his knife through the sharpener, trying to clear his mind for the mission ahead. Now a full-fledged order of the Brotherhood he had been given a task by the Grandmaster himself; to track down a demon. It was an honor to be selected and Adrian felt proud of his accomplishment, but the feeling had soon turned to frustration. The demon was proving harder to track than he anticipated. Even with all of his training, he had lost the demon three separate times in the last month alone. This one, who told him that her name was Hannah, had escaped his pursuit and jumped to a new host every time he got close.

That last bit bothered him. He'd never met a monster quite like this one. He'd seen demons on several occasions and even led a few hunting parties and performed some exorcisms, but this was a whole different level of weird. This demon was more talkative than one would expect, right before she'd 'smoke' out of the person she possessed, Hannah would take the time to taunt him about his failure. And he hated being taunted. What was more troubling was the last thing she'd said before leaving her last victim.

" _You're in over your head boy."_

That single sentence had haunted him in the weeks after the encounter. But what made him truly question his purpose was how she left the host body. When a demon possesses someone, they make the body stronger than any human. They're able to withstand gunshot wounds, cars crashing into them and multiple stab wounds. Adrian knew from experience since he'd done all three during his last fight with 'Hannah'. But once the demon left the body, all the injuries came back with a vengeance. The poor girl, only in her early 20s, lasted for three minutes while Adrian stood over her broken body.

Despite his upbringing Adrian couldn't help but think what the point of fighting monsters was when he couldn't protect this girl from harm. His instructors had never told him how fighting a demon would mean hurting someone who was innocent. He shook his head as he sheathed his now fully sharpened blade, his teachers knew that fighting evil sometimes meant putting innocent people in danger.

But the time for self-reflection was done. Night was coming and he had to be on the move. He donned his cloak, checked and re-checked his arsenal of weaponry and studied the picture of the demon's new host body. The girl, one Artemis Crock, was maybe two years older than he was at 22. Hannah had possessed easily, but this time she actually kept living the young woman's life. He couldn't help but think, ' _What's different about this girl?'_ While it was odd, it definitely made tracking her much easier.

So far, he'd observed her taking a morning run with her and her husband's dog and taking care of their young daughter. It was funny to watch actually, as the demon tried to figure out how to handle a weeping child. He could have grabbed her then, trapped in the host's body before exorcising her, but that would have put an innocent in harm's way, something he swore to never do again. Her evening run: that's when he'd grab her.

* * *

**November 15**   
**8:15 p.m.**

Wally came home later in the evening than he planned, far deeper into the evening than he planned to, worried that his wife would less than pleased with his late arrival. He was surprised to find an empty house. Even more surprised when he saw the cops pulled up in front moments later, his neighbor pulling up in her silver BMW with Wally's 2-year-old daughter on her hip.

The fastest man alive sprinted over to little Iris, scooping her into her arms and trying to calm his heartbeat. A young lieutenant removed his hat and walked to the now very worried father. The officer decided to not intrude on the reunion, but the gears were already turning Wally's brain. If the cops were here and his daughter in a near stranger's arms then it could only mean one thing.

"Where is my wife?" he asked as calmly as he could.

"We don't know sir," one of the older officers said.

"What do you mean you don't know?!" Wally nearly shouted, pulling Iris into his chest as he stepped forward toward the cop.

The lieutenant backed a step away from Wally, but was saved any further rebuke when Wally's new neighbor stepped in.

"Mr. West, about 30 minutes ago a madman dressed in a white robe showed up at my door and handed me your daughter. He said to keep her safe and make sure you get her."

"Did he say anything about my wife, about Artemis?" Wally demanded, his grip on Iris tightening the slightest bit.

The woman shook her head. "No, he didn't, but I think he may have taken her. He seemed in a real hurry to leave."

Wally was silent for a moment as he looked over his daughter. He slowly looked around at the police scattered around his front yard.

"I need all of you to leave." Now." His voice held no hesitation, but the cops looked to one another. "Now."

The lieutenant tried to intercede. "Mr. West. I have to advise you that-"

"I know the statistics, I am CSI you know. Now I'm going to ask nicely one last time. Take your men and leave."

Wally watched the police, after a long moment of arguing with him, climb back into their cruisers until only he and his neighbor remained.

"Thanks for bringing me my daughter, miss…?" he trailed off. He only realized he didn't know her name at that moment.

"Park. Linda Park." Wally shook her hand.

" I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to ask you to leave as well. Thank you again for your help."

Linda gave Wally a quizzical look before heading back to her house.

Wally waited until he saw Linda shut her door before he went back inside and activated his communicator.

"Nightwing, it's Flash. Get a team together. Someone took Artemis."

* * *

**An abandoned parking structure**   
**Oakland, CA**   
**9:25 p.m.**

Hannah blinked as the sack around her head was pulled off. The dimly lit area seemed far brighter than the pitch black of the burlap sack. She tried to stand up, only to find herself shackled to the chair she was occupying.

"You think these chains can hold me, boy?"

Adrian stepped out from behind the demon. "Yes, I think they will. I've etched into them various demon-trapping sigils. You have no power while they touch your skin. And the demon trap at your feet keeps you locked where you're sitting."

The demon looked down to see the bright red pentagram inside a circle. "What do you think you can do to me? Going to kill another innocent little human?" Adrian tensed at the memory of Hannah's last possession. "Seems I struck a nerve little boy."

The demon laughed. "You know, I always thought you were a rumor. A baby falls to Earth from on high, raised to fight us monsters. The stories said you were the best they ever trained. Well, if you're the best then I'm fucking Santa Claus."

"Caught you, didn't I?" Adrian snapped challengingly. His patience was already wearing thin.

The demon paused. "Well, I supposed I did have that coming," she sighed, shaking her head as if reprimanding herself for doing something wrong.

Adrian pulled out his notebook, re-checking the lines. But he couldn't shake the sense that something was off.

"Why did you stay in this girl's body?"

The demon shrugged. "What can I say? I have a thing for sexy young blondes."

Adrian slammed the small leather notebook shut. "Cut the crap. You took over her life. Something had to be different about her."

The demon looked thoughtful for a moment, before busting out in laughter. "As if I'd tell you, you piece of shit!"

Adrian's response was a dousing of holy water. The demon screamed loudly as her skinned burned red hot and steam rose from where it made contact.

"I will ask again, why this woman?"

The demon shook her head, earning another round of the holy water. This time her screams turned into answers.

"She's not like the others! They were a means to an end, something to get you off my trail for a while. This one, let's just say she's got connections. Things I'd need to do my job."

"What job?" Adrian demanded, eyes narrowing fiercely.

The demon laughed again as Adrian reached for the holy water. "Don't try it, kid. My boss would flay me alive and you alongside me if I dared speak his name. Put a little spell on it, so any one of us demons said his name he'd know and come running, or teleporting in his case. I say his name, and we're both dead."

Seeing the demon wasn't lying for once, Adrian stood up. "Fine then, just one thing left to do." He opened the leather notebook again and started reading in Latin.

" _Exorcizamus te, omnis immundus spiritus_  
 _omnis satanica potestas, omnis incursio_  
 _infernalis adversarii, omnis legio,_  
 _omnis congregatio et secta diabolica."_

The demon tensed and shook the chains as she recognized the chant. She was not going to like what happened next.  
 _"Ergo draco maledicte_  
 _et omnis legio diabolica adjuramus te._  
 _cessa decipere humanas creaturas,_  
 _eisque aeternae Perditionis venenum propinare."_

Hannah shook violently, seizing as the words took effect. _  
_ _"Vade, Satana, inventor et magister_  
 _omnis fallaciae, hostis humanae salutis._  
 _Humiliare sub potenti manu dei,_  
 _contremisce et effuge, invocato a_  
 _nobis sancto et terribili nomine,_  
 _quem inferi tremunt._  
 _Ab insidiis diaboli, libera nos, Domine._  
 _Exorcizamus te, omnis immundus spiritus_  
 _omnis satanica potestas, omnis incursio_  
 _infernalis adversarii,omnis legio,_  
 _omnis congregatio et secta diabolica._  
 _Ergo draco maledicte_  
 _et omnis legio diabolica_  
 _adjuramus te."_

Adrian didn't even pause to catch his breath.  
 _"Cessa decipere humanas creaturas,_  
 _eisque aeternae Perditionis venenum propinare."_

While the demon screamed out, a thunderous explosion rocked the structure. Dust billowed out as none other Flash, Nightwing and Superboy charged through the newly created opening in the roof. Adrian's eyes widened as he tried to hurry through the final words.

" _Ut Ecclesiam tuam secura tibi-_ "

A hard charging Superboy caused him to fall back in a defensive fighting stance. Using his training he managed to flip Superboy over his back, sending the Kryptonian flying in to the wall. But the move left Adrian vulnerable, as Nightwing caught him in the ribs with an eskrima stick. Adrian slumped on the ground, the breath firmly dislodged from his lungs.

Nightwing brandished his eskrima sticks. "I suggest you stay down. Or my very fast, and very angry friend will be happy to put you there."

Wally, meanwhile was busy trying to figure out for to untie his wife from whatever contraption the supposed nut-job had put her in.

Adrian raised a hand to Nightwing, trying desperately to gain his breath. You don't understand."

"What don't we understand? You kidnapped out friend and we caught you."

"She's a -" Wally sped through the chains, his super speed causing enough blowback to cause a break in the devil's trap. The demon smiled at this as she sent Wally flying back with her telekinetic powers, finish Adrian's sentence as she smiled. "Demon."

Superboy extricated himself from the wall and stood next to Nightwing, neither sure what exactly was going on. Adrian however, had now fully recovered from Nightwing's blow.

" _facias libertate servire._ "

This time the demon shuddered, screaming with her mouth wide. But in seconds it wasn't a scream that came out, only black smoke billowed out and burned into the ground. Artemis crumpled toward the ground, only to be caught by Wally at the last moment.

Adrian moved toward the couple, but was quickly slammed by Connor, who wasn't taking any chances. Before Superboy could strike he was stopped by Artemis' voice.

"Wait! Stop! He actually saved my life!"

Nightwing glanced in the direction the smoke had disappeared before he nodded. "I sort of figured."

Wally shook his head. "And you know this how?" he practically snarled, glaring furiously at Adrian.

Nightwing nodded at Adrian. "Seen his type before. Not the most tactful of fellows, but they do their jobs."

Connor was still trying to figure out what happened after he hit the wall. "And that job would be…?"

Adrian dusted off his cloak. "To protect the world from creatures like that. While you fight the public evil, we fight the one that stays in the shadows and the night. But I don't think I've ever seen a demon possess a superhero before."

Nightwing holstered his weapons. "How long ago was she possessed?"

"At least three days. Her husband had no knowledge of the change. The demon was very good at her job."

"She had a job?" Nightwing asked, eyes narrowing.

"One she only hinted at, she wouldn't tell me her boss' name. If you'll excuse me, I must report back to my masters."

With that, the white-clad man quickly leapt from the side of the building, grappling onto an opposite roof, leaving the four heroes standing awkwardly in an old parking structure with a massive hole in the roof.

Wally looked to Nightwing. "So…what now?"

* * *


	4. Out of the Shadows

**Rome**  
November 16  
7:35 a.m.

Adrian quickly disembarked the private jet, regretting the fact he failed to bring an umbrella as he stood in the downpour on the tarmac. Thankfully, a car was waiting for him near the plane. The black tinted windows on the Mercedes gave no clue as who was inside, but Adrian had a hunch about who would be waiting for him. Opening the rear driver's door he saw his guess was correct.

Grandmaster Ezio, one of the few actual Italian members of the Brotherhood, was reading the newspaper as Adrian settled into the seat. His accent was thick as he spoke to his subordinate. "The mission was a success?"

Adrian stared out the window as the car pulled out of the airport. "I wouldn't be here if it wasn't, sir."

The Grandmaster turned a page of the paper. "Were there any complications?"

"In a manner of speaking. The demon changed hosts twice before I could trap it. The final host was one of those American 'superheroes', or was at least related to one in some way."

Ezio folded the paper at this revelation, staring directly at Adrian. "Are you certain of this?"

"Yes. While I was performing the exorcism I was attacked by her husband, the man known as the Flash, and two of his colleagues. Nightwing nearly stopped me from finishing, but I believe he recognized that I was a part of the Brotherhood."

An affirmative grunt was Ezio's response, which Adrian took as a signal to continue. "The demon was quite unlike the others I have tracked. She seemed to have personal knowledge of who I was, and she had some kind of mission, alluding to a boss that I was unable to identify. I believe that her possession of a hero tells us at least some part of their plan."

Ezio nodded. "Agreed. I think it's time we reach out to our friends in that community. I fear this demon was only a small pawn in a larger game with an opponent who has proven very elusive thus far."

"You mean this wasn't the first incident?"

Ezio shook his head. "No. There has been a number of disturbing reports and encounters in these last months. And some of the seals have been broken."

Adrian felt like he'd just been slapped. "Surely you don't mean 'the seals', the ones to Lucifer's cage?"

The silence from the Grandmaster told Adrian all he needed to know. "What are we going to do?"

Ezio sighed. "I had hoped we could fight this ourselves, but it's clear we are too far behind in the game to win. We'll need help to stop what's coming. Which is why you will be meeting with the Justice League."

"Me, sir?"

Ezio stared at Adrian for a few moments. "Yes. I think you'll have an important role to play before this is over."

"How am I supposed to meet with them? I thought their base was in space?"

"The Batman built us an emergency backdoor into their system, in case a situation like this ever arose. So, you will go to their base, inform them of the situation." He handed Adrian a file. "And you will assist them in combating the problem while we do the same on our end. Any questions?"

Adrian skimmed the file, before shutting it carefully. "There was one more thing, sir. The demon, before I performed the exorcism, she said some rather peculiar things."

"What sort of things?"

"She implied that I wasn't exactly a normal human, said I literally fell to Earth."

Ezio stared at into the streets as the duo sat in silence for a few moments. "I suppose now is as good a time to tell you, but it isn't my place to tell you the whole truth. I'll leave that for someone else."

"She said I would help destroy heaven."

"Don't trust the words that come out of a demon's mouth, Adrian. She was simply toying with your mind."

"But there was some truth to what she said?"

Ezio massaged the bridge of his nose. "Perhaps. She was certainly correct about your origins, but the other things are purely fantastical. You should speak to your father when you return from your mission. It's been a long time since anyone in our organization made direct contact with the outside world, not since you were a boy. But the time is right for us to again step out of the shadows."

The car rolled to a stop. Adrian looked out at the deserted alley they were occupying. "What's here?

"The way to meet with the Justice League."

"There's nothing but an old phone booth."

"Exactly, my boy. Walk into it, and your questions will be answered."

Adrian nodded and exited the vehicle. He walked quickly toward the phone booth, not wanting to get drenched in the rain. As he was told, he opened the door and stepped in, finding exactly what he had expected in a broken and unused phone booth. But what he didn't expect was to find a computerised eye popping out of the dialling pad on the phone.

" _Recognized: Brotherhood member 09. Authorization for travel: Batman 02."_

The female voice was cut short as abruptly as it started. Adrian looked around for a speaker but found none. Suddenly a bright yellow light overtook him, blinding him to all else.

* * *

**Watchtower  
7:42 a.m.**

"So, what you're saying is that demons and angels aren't just stories? They're actually real?"

Nightwing sighed as he tried to once again explain the situation to Flash. "Wally, you've worked with Etrigan before on a number of missions. How is any of this too much to comprehend?"

"Because one of those things was in my wife's body!"

Nightwing paused his attempt to update the Ra's Al Ghul file. "Calm down. Yes, demons and angels are real, especially the more Christianity related entities."

Before he could finish the computer announced a new arrival.  _"Recognized: Brotherhood member 09. Authorization for travel: Batman 02."_

Adrian stepped out of the zeta platform, trying to rub the bright stars out of his vision. When he could finally see straight, he noticed both Nightwing and Flash were staring, dumbfounded, at him.

"Uh, hello?"

* * *


	5. Like a Crossbow to the Nuts

"Uh, hello?" Adrian was unsure of himself as he spoke. He had honestly hoped to not have to fight the heroes on their home ground, and considering their last encounter he did not want a repeat performance.

He feared the worst given Nightwing's glare. But instead of fight he was only bombarded with questions. "What the hell are you doing here?  _How_ did you get here?"

Adrian didn't know how to respond. Finding out that a transporter to the Justice League base had been hidden in a phone booth had thrown him for a loop. Wally looked impatient but a new arrival took charge of the situation.

"I granted him access." The three men looked to find Batman striding across the room, stopping directly in front of Adrian. "This had better be good."

Adrian swallowed hard. He was never a man who was easily intimidated, but the stories even the Brotherhood heard of Batman had scared him growing up.

"The Grandmaster sent me. He believes someone is trying to free Lucifer from his cage."

Wally let out a laugh, which was cut short by an elbow from Dick.

Batman glared at the younger man for a few seconds before quickly turning back to the computer Nightwing had previously been using. As his fingers worked furiously he spoke over his shoulder to Adrian.

"What intelligence do you have so far?"

Adrian handed Batman the file. "Not much, only patterns of unusual demon activity and odd behavior from all manner of monsters. One demon, as you may be aware, possessed one of your own. Artemis, I believe her name was. The demon claimed possessing her, one a member of this community was of paramount importance to her master."

Wally looked a little shocked by the whole situation. He turned to Dick. "You mean he's being serious about the whole Lucifer thing?"

Batman cut him off. "She mentioned a master?"

Adrian nodded. "Yes, but I was unable to get a name before I was assaulted by these two, "he motioned to Nightwing and Flash, "and one other. I had to finish the exorcism before the demon could escape."

Batman went silent as he began cross-reference supernatural entities in the JL computer with known villains.

"This will take some time. Nightwing and Flash will show you to the cafeteria."

Adrian didn't like that at all. "I'd like to stay." He saw the glare on Batman's face. "But, I can go if you want."

Nightwing and Flash had already worked their way to the door and waved for Adrian to follow. After Adrian caught up to the duo Nightwing made room for him between the two veterans.

"Sorry about hitting you in the ribs."

"It was my own fault. I should have been better prepared for an interruption, but I've never had to fight actual superheroes before."

Nightwing slapped his head. "Wait; are you that kid I met in Maine back in like 2010?"

Adrian looked at Nightwing curiously. "You were Robin?"

Wally laughed at the exchange. "Oh yeah, Mr. 6'1" 190 lbs. used to be that scrawny little boy in tights."

"They weren't tights, Flash, at least, not exactly." He changed tracks on the conversation. "Hey, you ever run with those Winchester guys again?"

Adrian shook his head. "Sadly, no."

"Damn, I always thought they were pretty cool."

"As did I. I do have a question, however."

"Fire away."

"When I arrived I noticed your file on Ra's al Ghul. How much do you know of his history?"

Nightwing mentally recalled the file, which was an easy task thanks to Bruce's relentless training. "Not much actually, at least from the early days anyway."

"I am not surprised. The man who would become Ra's al Ghul was an initiate member of the Brotherhood about 600 years ago. His actions proved more violent than were acceptable and he was excommunicated, though many had wanted him killed. After his banishment he became Ra's al Ghul and started the League of Shadows, using our techniques to train his own followers."

Wally was surprised by this to say the least. "I don't suppose that last bit went over so well."

"No, it did not. Unfortunately, by the time the Brotherhood located his stronghold, he had many times more forces than they had. To kill Ra's al Ghul would have all but destroyed the Brotherhood. And time has not been kind to us; our numbers have been dwindling for quite some time."

Nightwing halted the group near the door to the cafeteria. The sliding doors hissed open as a man in black and gold stepped out, rubbing his beard. Spotting the trio, he made his way over to them.

"Hey, Nightwing! Who's the new guy?"

Nightwing shook hands with the man. "Hey Hawkeye. This here is a member of the Brotherhood. Though I never got his name."

Adrian extended a hand to Hawkeye. "Adrian."

Thomas returned the gesture. "Nice to meet you, call me Thomas. So, what brings you to the Watchtower."

"I had urgent business, but it's now out of my hands."

Well, then how about you tag along for a little training session?" Thomas looked to Dick and Wally.

Nightwing thought it over. "I supposed it couldn't hurt. Plus we could always see who your Brotherhood training holds up against the Justice League."

* * *

**Justice Training Room  
10 minutes later**

After getting outfitted with his weapons of choice Adrian was ready for a sparring session with some members of the Justice League. Coming out of the weapons room he hadn't expected to hear the heroes squabbling over who would fight him."

"Flash, it's my rotation today." Hawkeye was not happy with Flash's instance that he be the one to fight.

"Dude, I just want to see if some holier than thou monk can put his money where his mouth is."

Thomas glanced at Nightwing. "This the same Brotherhood you've mentioned before?" After Nightwing nodded Thomas smiled, slapping Wally on the arm. "He's all yours, man."

Wally moved into the ring, oblivious to the exchange between Thomas and Dick.

"Ready to get your ass kicked preacher boy?"

Adrian's face remained passive as he prepared himself for the session, but he couldn't comprehend just how fast Wally could move. The first round lasted only moments as Wally bowled over the monster hunter in less than a millisecond, standing over him in triumph.

"That's what happens when you aren't ready."

Adrian quickly made up his mind how he would defend himself next round. "Best two out of three?"

Wally smiled. "You're on."

Adrian detached the mini-crossbow from his hip and notched the primary arrow as the duo squared off yet again. Exactly as expected Wally was soon standing over Adrian, gloating. But he faltered when he saw Adrian's sly grin. He looked down, finding a silver-tipped arrow just below his privates. Wally quickly stepped back, holding his nuts while Dick, Thomas and Adrian shared a laugh at the speedster's expense. The laughter was cut short by Batman's voice coming over the intercom.

"I need all available heroes to assemble in the conference room in five minutes."

Five minutes later Adrian was surrounded by several other heroes. In addition to the three men he'd met earlier Dr. Fate, Superboy, Zatanna, and Artemis were gathered around the table. Before Batman came in to the room Artemis made her way over to the new guy.

"So, thanks for doing that whole exorcism thing."

"Don't mention it. If you don't mind my asking, how much do you remember about it?"

The archer hesitated for a moment. "Honestly, pretty much the whole thing, like I was watching someone else drive my body. Which, I guess I sort of was."

"Anything important you remember, maybe about that boss the demon was hinting at?"

Before Artemis could answer Batman interrupted. "Artemis has already told me what I need to know." He opened up a holographic, showing a rather familiar enemy. "The target is Klarion. Thank to information from Artemis we know he was been orchestrating a spell designed to liberate a fallen angel, specifically Lucifer."

Most would question the validity of that statement had anyone but Batman made it. "According to intelligence gathered by Adrian's group it appears that Klarion had already broken dozens of seals necessary to open Lucifer's cage, but he is missing something to finish the spell. I've had Dr. Fate searching the globe for Klarion.

The booming voice of Dr. Fate took control of the briefing. "I have managed to locate a strong focal point of chaotic magical energies. I believe this is the likely location of Klarion. We should depart immediately in the hopes of at least temporarily capturing him to learn of his plans.

Batman surveyed the room as silence sank in. "Gear up. You're leaving in ten."

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bit shorter than planned, but I'm trying to stick to my nine chapter outline. Next chapter has a fun little fight scene.
> 
> This is the part where the lore of Supernatural isn't going to fit firmly into my story. Those in the know will recognize the seals of the cage that I reference, but the exact way that the cage is opened will be a little different than in the show, though I hope in a good way.
> 
> Also, the Hawkeye character is the original OC I created that started this while. Check out Strange New World if you want to know more about him. He won't feature much into part 8, but he's the leading man in the finale


	6. Greybull, Wyoming

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fans of the show might possible recognize the title of this chapter. It's a bit obscure, but it's the name of the town where Alistair trapped the reapers so no one could die.

* * *

**Watchtower Launch Bay  
8:30 a.m.**

Adrian closed his eyes, trying to focus his mind as he sat in the chair of the Justice League's Javelin aircraft. As he was always carrying his weaponry, he was first to board the ship. Nightwing was next, taking a seat in the pilots chair and running through the pre-flight checklist. Dr. Fate flew in next, followed by Flash, Artemis, Superboy, Hawkeye and Zatanna. Once they were all aboard Adrian stood up to get their attention.

"Considering we don't know what we'll be facing, and that one of you has already been possessed, I think you should all take one of these." Adrian reached into his pocket and pulled out a handful of silver tokens. Each had a pentagram surrounded by a symbol of flames. He tossed one to each individual on the ship.

Wally carefully studied the tokens. "What do they do?"

"As long as you keep one on you demons won't be able to enter your body."

Artemis seemed relieved. "Good, once was definitely enough."

Zatanna seemed to regard the item with disdain. "Never been a fan of this Judeo-Christian stuff." But she still dropped the token in a jacket pocket.

Without any other question Adrian returned to his seat as Nightwing took the Javelin out into open space. Adrian clenched onto his seat hard as he felt the craft move out of the docking bay. For a man trained to fight monsters on Earth, he'd never imagined himself in space. His fear of heights did not help the situation at all. He had to push that fear down when Nightwing started speaking.

"We'll be setting down outside a small town; Greybull, Wyoming, in about six minutes. Once on the ground, we'll scout the area and better devise a plan of action. The energy in the air makes satellite recon impossible."

No one spoke for the remainder of the ride, each one of them readying themselves for a fight. Just as Nightwing stated, in six minutes the rear door folded down and the eight-member team descended into the open field they had landed in. Dr. Fate stepped in front of the group, pointing to the south.

Zatanna used her magic to create a platform for Superboy, Nightwing, Adrian, and herself to fly on while Flash carried his wife. Hawkeye used his flame ability to fly parallel with Zatanna and just behind Dr. Fate, who led the way. Within minutes Fate stopped in the air, looking into the town of no more than 500 people below. He pointed at one of the more prominent buildings.

"The witch boy is inside that funeral home. It is heavily warded. It will considerably drain Zatanna and I, should we to enter the building."

Hawkeye flew up next to the Lord of Order. "Can we get rid of those wards by hand?"

Fate stared off at the structure for a moment. "I believe so. Destroying them should pose no problem?"

Nightwing turned to Zatanna. "Any idea what's in there?"

The sorcerer concentrated, but did not look pleased. "No, whatever magic he's using, it's blocked all my attempts to see inside the building. You'll have to go in blind."

Connor shrugged. "Fine by me."

Adrian, however wasn't happy. "That is not how I normally do things."

Nightwing, trying to formulate a plan, glanced at his new ally. "What do you think Klarion will have for defences?"

"Most likely demons and various monsters."

"How do we beat them?"

"Demons can vary in strength, but should be easily handled by Superboy and perhaps Hawkeye in terms of brute strength. Holy water is painful enough to bring all but the strongest to their knees. But be careful, any harm to their bodies will also harm the host. I'd suggest we setup devil's traps and pick off the demons one by one."

Nightwing thought over the scenario. "You said other monsters?"

"He might be using certain monsters are minions as well. Our intelligence reports that some vampire tribes have begun working with demons in exchange for fresh blood supplies."

"How do we handle them?"

"Cut off their heads."

Wally didn't liking where this was going. "Woah! We don't kill, man."

Adrian turned to rebuke the hero. "The creatures are not human. Once they've fed, there is no turning back. If you aren't careful they will turn you or kill you with a second thought."

Hawkeye tried to quell the argument. "There's no other way?"

Adrian shook his head. "It is the only way to eliminate the threat."

Hawkeye got back in control of the situation. "Then Flash, if you don't want to, you don't have to engage the vampires. I, for one, will be doing what I need to do in there. But he's right about the demons. We round them up, take out Klarion, and then do that exorcism thing he did on Artemis. Sound good?" Flash nodded. "So, what's the plan, Nightwing?"

"We go in on foot from here, don't want to attract attention by flying in. Once we're close Adrian will show you all that devil's trap thing and we'll split into teams of two. Flash will take care of the wards first, so that Dr. Fate and Z can enter in. The rest of us will try to quietly take out the demons and get them gagged and in the traps. We move quickly, and hit Klarion before he has a chance to escape. Let's move."

The team took off at a sprint toward the funeral home, Wally flying ahead to recon the perimeter. The team arrived a few minutes later to find Wally, eating an apple, propped up against a wall in an alley. He tossed the apple as they got close.

"What? There was this awesome apple tree in the middle of town and I haven't eaten in 45 minutes."

Nightwing did not look pleased at his friend's casualness. "Report."

"No one outside the facility, they're all inside. They've got motion sensors on all the entrances and windows, and not just any sensors. These are the new Lexcorp ones. I could go fast enough to not get noticed, but that make one hell of a sonic boom. We've fought Klarion enough for him to know what that means."

Nightwing nodded. "I'll get to work on the sensors, we'll breach once it's clear."

The team's leader looked out across the street, finding it void of activity. Normally operating in broad daylight was not to his liking, but working in a sparsely populated town made things easier. He quickly crossed the street and made his way to the door. Opening up his wrist computer he was able to tap into the sensors wireless signal and being hacking the software. He smiled at the ease of the task; even Luthor's newest technology couldn't hold a candle to the best toys from WayneTech.

He signaled the team, and Wally raced inside ahead of everyone. Nightwing pulled up his wrist computer as everyone else followed him inside.

"I sent out a signal along the electrical systems, so I have a rough blue-print. Superboy, you're with me. We're heading down the left corridor. Artemis and Adrian will take the basement. Hawkeye will go right and meet up with Flash. Fate and Z will enter once Flash is back. Move."

The teams split up, each following their orders. Adrian and Artemis moved quickly to a set of stairs leading to the basement. Both drew their crossbows as they descended. The stairs themselves were clear, but the basement was not. Two demons were leaning against the mortuary tables, chatting about the job. Adrian stopped Artemis before she could attack, both of them leaning back against the stairwell. He motioned for her to distract them while he prepped the devil's traps. Artemis nodded, understanding the plan. She raced out from behind wall.

"What's a girl got to do to get a little service around here?"

The two demons glanced at each other before rushing the blonde archer. The first demon found himself trapped by Artemis' net arrow and was quickly face down on the floor. He tried in vain to rip the net, but he didn't know it was nearly strong enough to hold Superboy. The second, however, got close enough to engage, throwing a series of heavy blows that put Artemis on the defensive. Even with her training was having a hard time ducking the blows, and each hit was slowing her down. A left hook caught her in the ribs, knocking her several feet backward into a wall. The black-eyed demon smiled, thinking his prey cornered and beaten, but suddenly a jar of water burst on his head. The demon seized in pain as the steam from the holy water rose off his skin. Adrian stood over the demon, drawing the second devil's trap around him.

Artemis tried to regain her breath as Adrian finished gagging the two demons. There was no time for an exorcism, but this way they wouldn't draw any attention. With the situation resolved the duo made a bee-line back to the rendezvous point. Less than a minute later they met up with the rest of the team, including Dr. Fate and Zatanna. Wally was concerned that Artemis was holding her side.

"What happened?"

"We were the only team without any powers, so, of course we got our asses kicked."

Nightwing snapped his fingers to refocus the group. "Worry about each other later. Let's finish this. Superboy, got anything on the infra-red?"

Connor performed a quick scan of the room. "Shit."

Nightwing did a double take at his friends curse. "What?"

"He must have summoned more monsters, because the viewing room is packed with hostiles!"

"How many?"

"At least 40, there's a lot of overlapping signatures. I see Klarion; he's floating in the back doing some kind of spell."

"Then let's get to it."

Nightwing used hand signals to count down, on zero the team burst through the door to the funeral parlour's viewing room. The demons, all 50 of them, turned to fight the heroes. Superboy and Hawkeye worked in tandem to deal with the majority of the demons while the others dealt with the outliers. Dr. Fate and Zatanna went straight for Klarion.

Klarion ceased his spell, focusing all his attention on the new arrivals. His voice carried over the melee below. "Wondered when you'd show up old timer, and look, you even brought your host's daughter along. How touching."

Fate prepared to strike at his opponent. "This ends now!"

His energy strike missed, giving Klarion a chance to counter attack. Red chaos energy shot towards the Lord of Order, but were blocked by a spell from Zatanna.

"You little bitch! I should have killed you years ago."

The three magic users clashed again and another stalemate occurred. Below Klarion watched as the heroes dismantled his army of monsters, noting the Brotherhood member as he sliced clean through the head of a vampire. Realizing his defeat the Witch Boy decided to taunt the boy before he made his exit. Klarion shot a spell at Adrian, who rolled to the side just in time.

"You know, I did expect a little more from someone who used to be an angel. But, oh well, maybe you'll catch me next time."

And before Zatanna or Dr. Fate could try to stop him, the Witch Boy vanished, leaving everyone staring at Adrian.

* * *


	7. Grace

* * *

**Justice League Javelin #7  
En route to Watchtower**

The constant stares of the group on the ride back to Watchtower were uncomfortable, to say the least, for Adrian. He was never that comfortable with attention and Klarion's parting statement certainly shone the spotlight directly on him. As Adrian sat stewing in the back of the Javelin he missed out on the conversation in the front of the plane between Zatanna and Nightwing.

"So Z, you think Klarion was telling the truth?"

"Hard to say really. You know he likes to stir up trouble."

"I'm sensing a 'but' coming on."

"You're not wrong. It's difficult to put into words, but there's something off about Adrian."

"This a good weird or a bad weird?"

Zatanna looked out the cockpit window as the craft left the atmosphere. "I'm not sure. What I do know is that Adrian is deeply connected to what's going on."

"What do you mean?" Superboy, having overheard the conversation, got out of his seat and had made his way to the front.

Dick made the connection before Zatanna could explain. "Adrian isn't even that high ranking in his organization. Why would the Brotherhood's leader send Adrian alone? Something is going on here."

Superboy nodded. "And I know how much you hate not having all the facts."

Zatanna steered the conversation back on track. "But I don't think Adrian has any more of a clue what's going on than we do. I mean, if there's demons doesn't that mean there has to be a heaven too?"

Dick shook his head. "I don't know Z, I just don't know."

The trio lapsed into silence as Nightwing piloted the craft into the Watchtower vehicle bay. Once inside, the group disembarked the craft to find Batman waiting for the team.

Nightwing was the first to acknowledge his mentor. "What's with the meet 'n greet?"

Batman ignored his protégé and focused on Adrian. "You received a message while you were gone. Your father has been hospitalized due to a brain tumor." The news stunned Adrian, nearly to the point of him missing the rest of what Batman was saying. "The doctors do not believe he will last much longer. I've made arrangements for you to return to Earth. I will meet you at the zeta platform you arrived in."

Adrian nodded, his mind still reeling from the shock, and his slowly made his way to the zeta tubes. The group watched him leave in silence until Nightwing began to brief Batman on what happened.

"There's something you should know, something Klarion said."

Batman quickly cut in. "We know. All communications were monitored by Watchtower per protocol, which is in your manual. The necessary information from the mission was relayed to me."

Nightwing, though irritated, refocused the conversation. "So, think there's any truth to what he said?"

"Unlikely, but hard to prove either way."

"Right, haven't been reports of angels on Earth for nearly a full millennia."

Wally coughed a little louder than necessary to bring the attention to the full group. "So, are we good to go shower or what?"

Batman nodded and the team filed out of the launch bay and headed toward the showers.

Nightwing hung back with Batman. "So, what are we going to do if it turns out that the Witch Boy was right?"

Batman was silent for a moment. "I'm not sure there's much any of us could do against an angel. If what little we've read is any indication, then they are exceptionally powerful."

Nightwing rubbed the back of his neck. "This whole situation is screwed up. I mean, angels, demons, witch boys, it's not exactly our normal cup of tea."

"We do what the job demands, Dick."

"Yeah, I know. But this stuff's a little out of our league and our best information source just found out his dad's going to die. I barely know the guy, but there's no way his head can be in the game after this."

"I think you'd be surprised. The members of his Order have always been exceptionally trained. He may still prove to be an asset."

"Then I guess we'll just have to wait and see."

* * *

**San Raffaele Casa Di Cura Privata**   
**November 16**   
**1:43 p.m.**

It was already early afternoon by the time Adrian made to the hospital. He slowly made his way through the hospital, avoiding several rushing nurses as they came barrelling out of patient rooms. After returning, to Rome he had been picked up by several other members of the Order, but they offered no details of his father's condition. This only made matters worse. As Adrian neared the room, he realized it had been nearly two years since he had last seen his father in person. There had been many phone calls, but Adrian was suddenly unsure if he truly wanted to see his father in his weakened state. He mentally kicked himself for the thought and banished from his mind as he opened the door to his father's hospital room.

Once in the room he paused, seeing the man who raised him hooked up to a ventilator was a bit more of a shock than he thought it would be. What's more, Grandmaster Ezio himself was sitting by Leo's bedside, nodding subtly to Adrian as he entered.

"Have a seat. We have things to discuss."

Adrian didn't move, his focus solely on the sickly man lying on the hospital bed. The rhythm of the ventilator was all he heard. Ezio's voice was louder the second time.

"Adrian. There isn't much time. Sit down."

This time Adrian heard his leader, and sat on the opposite side. "What happened?"

"It appears to be a simple brain tumour, albeit one that apparently went undetected for several years."

A single word caught Adrian's attention. " _Appears_?"

Ezio nodded. "That is what the doctor's believe. But they are missing a vital piece of information."

"What? What don't they know?" Adrian's tone was erratic as he questioned his master.

Ezio responded by pulling out a brown leather patch. The old and weathered material was bound together by a string at the top. Adrian instantly recognized what it was.

"A hex bag. Where was it found?"

"In his home, behind the oven. Once we were made aware of your father's hospitalization several members of the order searched his residence and returned to me with the hex bag."

"Do you know who it came from?"

"I have a theory. A note was left behind. It read 'I know what the boy is. His father dies if he continues his hunt.'"

Adrian was silent as he pondered the meaning of the message. Suddenly, something clicked in his mind. "Klarion, it's got to be."

"Why do you assume it is Klarion?"

"Something he said." Adrian paused, unsure how to approach the subject. "I don't want to pry, but what exactly do you know about where I come from. Leo told me I wasn't his biological son a long time ago, but it wasn't important until today."

Ezio sighed. "I figured this day would come sooner or later. The day you arrived, or more accurately, fell from the sky was a very momentous day. If you're asking what I think you are asking, then yes, you are indeed an angel. Or you were at least."

"What do you mean 'were'?"

"There's a reason angels as powerful as they are. For lack of a better word, we mortals labelled that power 'grace', since God himself used a sliver of his power to create them. When you fell to Earth, that grace should have fallen with you. But we never found it."

Adrian slumped back into his chair. "Why are you telling me all this now?"

"Leo had wanted to tell you several years ago, but I thought it best to wait. It appears my old friend was right after all. Powerful forces are at work Adrian, and I don't know how we will survive the coming apocalypse. But what I do know is that you have a role to play in all of this. You weren't cast out of heaven, you left on your own, or at least, the angel part of you did. But since you fell and lost your grace, your memories were stripped away as well."

"So you knew, this whole time? Did everyone know?"

"No, only Leo and myself knew the truth. But the man who is behind the recent crisis seems to know as well."

The two fell into an uneasy silence with only the hospital machines making a sound. After a few moments of thought Adrian asked another question. "How do you know what's coming?"

Ezio removed his glasses to massage the bridge of his nose. "Before you came to Earth, someone communicated to us from Heaven, telling us when you would arrive, and who you would have to face. And all of it has come true; the breaking of the seals confirms it."

"So Lucifer really is one behind all of this?"

"No, he could contact no one from his cage. Someone is planning this from the outside, and that makes them very dangerous."

"Can we stop them?"

"It would seem doubtful. While you were with the League I received confirmation that 64 seals have been broken and one is currently under attack. That leaves one remaining seal before the cage is open."

This was a shock to the younger man. "How did they fall so quickly?"

"It appears that the angels have forsaken Earth. There is no possible way they could have missed the signs of what is happening, but we've seen no evidence of their intervention. There are over 600 seals, but only 66 have to fall. Our only consolation is that we know which of the seals must fall last. All our remaining members are en route, but we amount to less than two dozen. Standing against Klarion's army, I fear, will prove too overwhelming."

Adrian ran his eyes over the tubes and wires protruding from Leo's body. "If we fail, what happens?"

"Lucifer walks free, burning the Earth as he intended do all those millennia ago."

Adrian stood up. "Then I guess we had better not fail. Give me the location of the final seal."

Ezio stared up at his subordinate. "I see what you're planning to do."

"Then you know it's the only option left." He paused to look down at his comatose father. "Is there anything you can do for him while I'm gone?"

The Grandmaster shook his head. "It would take an exceptionally powerful magic user to break the curse. No one in our order has the skill required."

Adrian raised his head. "Then I guess it's a good thing I just met two people who fit that bill."

"Then I wish you luck Adrian. I hope you find the answers you're seeking. Tell your friends to go an abandoned church outside Ilchester, Maryland. You should find Klarion there."

"Thank you Grandmaster." Adrian bowed quickly and bolted from the room.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

> Please review!


End file.
